Automatic bleeder for air-brake systems.



E. VAN H. GONLEY, 2D. AUTOMATIC BLEBDER FORAIR BRAKE SYSTEMS. APPLICATION FILED DBO. 31, 1908.

940,676. Patented N0v .23, 1909.

EDWARD VAN HART CONLEY, 21), 0F KEARNEY, NEW JERSEY.

AUTOMATIC BLEEDER FOB AIR-BRAKE SYSTEMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 23, 1909.

Application filed December 31, 1908. Serial No. 470,131.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD VAN HART CONLEY, 2d, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kearney, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Bleeders for Air-Brake Systems; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in fluid-pressure brakes for railway rolling st0ck,'and more particularly relates to an automatic bleeder for the auxiliary reservoirs.

In the fluid-pressure brakes now commonly employed upon railway cars, and particularly upon freight cars, provision is made to exhaust the auxiliary reservoirs of air in order to permit the cars to be readily switched about after the train is broken up; otherwise, the brakes remain applied under the pressure from the'auxiliary reservoirs. The means now employed, however, require that the trainmen shall be present ateach car until the air from the auxiliary reservoir thereof is wholly exhausted,

the 'construction of these exhausting means. a

being such that .the trainmen must hold the same open during the entire period of discharge. Obviously, this requires considerable time, especially in the case of long trains, before the cars are in condition to be shifted about, sothat the trainmen are prevented performing other duties while the auxiliary reservoirs of the respective cars are being discharged.

The present invention, therefore, has in contemplation the provision of a bleederfor auxiliary reservoirs constructed in such manner as to obviate the objections above noted, and by which when communication has been established-between the auxiliary reservoirs and the atmosphere, such communication will continue until the auxiliary reservoirs are wholly discharged without the necessity of the t-rainmen remaining at each car during the entire period of dis-,

charge. In other words, the present invention provides a bleeder requiring that the trainmen shall onl initiate the discharge, and the latter wil continue regardless of the presence or absence of the trainmen.

The invention also seeks to provide a bleeder of the character set forth constructed others that will appear as the nature of the improvements is better understood, the

invention consists substantially in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawingsl*igure 1 is'a side elevation of an automatic air-bleeder constructed in accordance with and embodying the principles of the present invention, the bleeder being illustrated in its application to an auxiliary reservoir a portion of which only is shown. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View thereof.

Referring in detail to the drawings the numeral 1 designates a casing, preferably in the form of a cylinder, and said casing is provided at its ends with detachable heads 2 suitably connected thereto.

Within the cylinder 1, and movable throughout the bore thereof, is a piston 3 carried by a longitudinally-extending piston rod 4, The latter is of such length, as to project through and beyond the heads 2, and surrounding the projecting portions of the rod 4: are packing glands the piston 3 is subjected to the pressure within the train-pipe of the air-brake system, and to permit this one of the heads 2 is provided with an outwaidly-projecting sleeve 6 at the end of which the packing gland of that head is provided, the sleeve (3 having at one side a connection 7 that leads to the trainpipe of the system.

The head 2 opposite to that to which the train-pipe connection is applied is provided with an exhaust port 8, and in the side of the casing 1, adjacent to the head that is provided with the port 8, but slightly spaced therefrom, is an inlet port 9 that communicates with a chamberlO, which chamber, in turn, has a'port 11 that communicates with the auxiliary reservoir 12 of the system. It

One side of is to be observed in this connection that while the inlet port 9 is removed from the head 2 wherein the exhaust port 8 is formed, it is positioned in such relation thereto that when the piston 3 abuts against the head 2 wherein said port 8 is formed said piston covers the port 9, and thereby cuts off communication between the interior of the easing 1 and the chamber 10. This is the normal position of the piston 3 when there is pressure in the train-pipe.

That there may be a clearance space between the piston 3 and the head 2 in which the port 8 is formed, the face of the piston 3 contiguous to said head is providedwith a series ofabutments 13. Hence, when these abutments are in contact Withsaid head a passage isfiormed between these parts. The purpose ofthis will presently appear,

At the face of the piston 3 contiguous'to the head 2 that is provided with the exhaust port 8 is arranged a chamber or recess 1%. This chamber or recess receives a piston disk 15 that is carried by the piston rod 4, and surrounding the latter, between said disk 15 and the inner end of said chamber or recess 14, is a spring 16 that normally exerts its tension to force the disk 15 outwardly. The

piston rod 4: is. provided with a groove 17 that extends from a point adjacent to the piston disk 16 to a point adjacent to the pressure face of the piston 3, and the end of said groove. 17 that is next to the disk 15 is always in communication with the chamber la. The otherend of said groove is normally concealed within the piston, and thus is out oiffrom communication withpressure at the pressure side of the piston. When, however, the piston rod 4 is moved to expose the groove 17 to the pressure at the pressure sidel of'the piston, the air passes through said groove 17 and into the chamber 14, and that the air may escape from this chamber the disk 15 is provided with an exhaust port 18. Hence, the air will pass from the chamber 1 1 through the port 18 and into the clearance space adjacent to the head 2 of "the casing that is contiguous to the piston 3, when the latter 5 in its normal position under pressure, and from this clearancespace the air will find its way to the atmosphere through the exhaust port 8. The purpose "of the groove 17 is to enable the trainmen to ascertain whether or not pressure is present withih the1 cylinder 1, for it is obvious that when the groove 17' is so moved as to be exposed to th pressure at the pressure side of the piston 3, air, if present within the cylinder 1, will be manifested bythe sound of its escape through the port 8.

For operating manually the piston 3, in order to uncover the port 9, any suitable means may be provided through the medium of which the piston rod-4 may be shifted,

and that the piston 3 may be moved with said rod 4 collars 19 are carried by the latter at opposite faces of the piston.

When it is desired to bleed an auxiliary reservoir equipped with the hereindescribed invention, the trainmen move the piston rod 4: in the direction of the arrow illustrated in Fig. 2. This moves the piston 3 away from the exhaust port 8, and uncovers the port 9 in order to establish communication between the auxiliary reservoir 12 and said port 8.

There being no pressure in the train-pipe it is manifest that there is nothing at the pressure side of the piston 3 to force the latter toward the exhaust port 8, and, consequently, the piston 3 will remain in the position to which it is moved by the trainmen. As soon as communication is established between the ports 8 and 9, the air in the auxiliary reservoir immediately passes therefrom to the atmosphere, and the auxiliary reservoir can therefore be emptied of its airexpeditiously, and without the trainmen remaining to hold open the exhaust port. As soon as pressure is established in the trainpipe, for the purpose of recharging the auxiliary, such pressure enters the cylinder 1 through the connection 7, communication through this connection from the train-pipe being always uninterrupted, and this pressure forces the piston 3 in the direction op-' posite to that indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, thereby forcing the piston 3 toward the exhaust port 8, and covering the port 9. This latter therefore is no longer in communication with the cylinder 1, so that the auxiliary reservoir becomes recharged.

-In order to test the pressure conditions within the cylinder 1 the trainmen move the piston rod 4 only sufficiently to expose the groove 17 to the pressure at the pressure side of the piston, as previously described, but this movement of the piston rod 4; is not sufficient to displace the piston 3 from its posi-' tion over the port 9, so that in testing theconditions in the cylinder 1 there is no liability of the auxiliary reservoir being exof the trainmen remaining ateach car during the entire period of discharge, and hence the trainmen are free to perform other duties time for which is now taken up by the necessity for holding the bleeding means in open position until the auxiliary reservoirs are completely exhausted. Furthermore, when it is deslred to recharge the auxiliary reservoirs the herein described bleeder automatically operates to cut off communication between the auxiliary reservoirs and the atmosphere, so that no manual effort for the accomplishment of this purpose is necessary.

Having thus described the-invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by.Letters Patent, is:

1. A device of the class described, comprising a casing having an exhaust port, said casing also having a port for communication with an auxihary'res'ervoir, and a piston arranged in said casing and. controld ling the port for communication with the said casing also having a port for communication with an auxiliary reservoir, a piston arranged in said casing and-ron'trollin the port or communication with the auxl iar-y I reservoir, and means for testing the pressure conditions within said casing.

i. A device of the class described, comprising a casing having an exhaust port, Said casing also havin a port for communicatron w th an auxlhary reservoir, a plston ar-' ranged in said casing and controlling the port'for communication with the auxiliary reservoir, and means operable independently of the piston for testing the pressure ,conditions within said casing.

v 5. A device of the class described, comprising a casing having an exhaust port, said a port for communica-' tion with an auxiliary reservoir, a piston arranged in said casing and controlling the casing also having portfor communication" with the auxiliary reservoir, and a train-pipe connection at the i side of the piston opposite to the exhaust port, whereby pressure in the train-pipe ma ntains the piston-over the port for communication withthe auxiliary reservoir;

. 6. A-device of the class described,-com'- prising a casing having an exhaust port, said casing also having a port for communication with an auxiliary reservoir, a piston arranged in said casing and controlling the port for communication withthe auxiliary reservoir, ahutments carried by said piston to provide a clearance space in communication with' said exhaust port, andmeans for test ing the pressure conditions within said casing. v

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses. y

EDWARD VAN HART CONLEY, 2ND.

Witnesses: .1

' J. S. Es'rILL,

A. 'OAssIDY. 

